..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
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Renault South Africa said on Tuesday that in a market that was down almost 7 percent, it enjoyed unprecedented growth in 2015 recording vehicle sales in excess of 20 000 units.
That was the marque’s “best year ever” according to the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas de Canha.
According to a statement issued Tuesday, de Canha said: “2015 was a record year for us with sales making South Africa the largest Renault importer worldwide, the only countries selling more than us being factory subsidiaries. We competed for that top spot with countries that have large vehicle markets, Egypt being a notable large Renault country.”
Describing 2015’s sales volume as “a solid number for Renault, Brian Smith, Vice-President of Marketing and Communications, said the brand is now firmly positioned in 7th place among SA’s top selling passenger car brands.
“And within that 20, 000, there are several Renault pillar model success stories to share,” he added.
Pillar Model Strategy
Smith said that Renault’s pillar model strategy continued to work very well with Sandero, Captur, Duster and Clio with each positioned in the Top 5 of their respective segments.
Renault Sandero sales increased to well over 7 000 during 2015, significantly up on 2014’s figure of around 4 500 units.
“In the entry level AB segment, Sandero’s exponential 64% growth in sales volume escalated this popular hatchback to 5th spot in 2015 well up from its 8th place the year before.
“A highlight for us was Sandero’s scooping of the number one spot in the Budget Car Category of Cars.co.za highly contested 2015 Consumer Awards where the key judging factors were fuel economy, value for money, practicality and brand strength,” he said.
Described by a member of the judging panel as “a modern and solid offering, despite its keen price, Sandero still manages to maintain excellent levels of standard safety equipment and in-car entertainment,” he added.
According to him, “In May 2015, we were fortunate to launch Renault Captur and expand our presence in SA’s highly contested B-SUV crossover market. Up 40% on 2014, the B-SUV category is the fastest growing segment in South Africa’s vehicle parc and true to its name, in just over six months, Captur put in a powerful performance and seized third place in its segment”
Captur’s SA début also heralded the introduction of Renault’s Formula 1-inspired new generation 1.2 litre 88kW power plant in the Dynamique EDC, Captur’s dual-clutch, six-speed auto transmission flagship model.
Undergoing a facelift in August, Smith reports that Renault Duster recorded another good year maintaining its second place ranking despite exceptional growth in this segment “Together with Captur, Renault’s share of the B-SUV market is around 35% and we consider ourselves fortunate to have two such strong contenders in this highly competitive segment.”
Year-on-year Renault Clio has proven to be a consistently strong performer and successfully maintained its 4th spot in the B-segment in 2015. “Perennial in popularity Clio performed particularly well in the latter portion of 2015,” he says. “This was attributable in part to the introduction of the Clio Expression 88kW Turbo EDC and the Blaze 66kW Turbo Limited Edition models in October.
“Renault’s dealer network now stands at 61 inclusive of locations in Windhoek and Gaborone,” he added. “Integral to our strategic plan is to ensure the ongoing supply of parts to our southern African network and also to create sufficient capacity for planned growth and model diversification in the years ahead. To facilitate this, in October we opened our new Parts and Distribution Centre with no expense spared in terms of logistical fixtures and fitments.”
“Renault’s sales certainly bucked the trend in 2015 and with a full schedule of exciting product launches in the pipeline, we’re upbeat about the year ahead. We have a fantastic product offering and priced right, we anticipate another great year for our brand.”
